How to Quickly Facelift a Room Using The Rule of 3

Not 2. Not 1. But 3. Three is a magic number in interior design. If you are working on a DIY design project and want to quickly facelift a room, use this easy rule of 3 – and any of these 3 different ways.

1. Update your lighting with 3 new lamps

Triangulate your lighting, meaning, if you were hovering up at the ceiling and looking down at your room from this birds eye view, you’d want the position of your lamps to create a triangle. Not only does this always create a nice light disbursement in a room, but every room benefits from new lamps. Not only is lighting one of the first elements to “date a room,” but light fixtures are truly part of the jewelry of a room. A new lamp is as powerful as a fabulous new necklace for your little black dress. Go for 3 new lamps in a tired room: 1 floor lamp and 2 table lamps. Or all table lamps – whichever you prefer!

2. Jump a key accent color 3 times

Take a key color accent and move it through the room 3 times. For example, the bedroom wall color can jump to the window coverings and a single large accent pillow on the bed. A key color in a painting over the living room sofa can jump from the painting to accent pillows on the sofa and the color of an accent chair. You can also use accessories as part of the color jumping process (table top accessories, lamp shades, or frames.) Jump a key color 3 times: Great trick that works wonderfully and sets a nice rhythm into motion in a room.

3. Add a trio of new accessories to a side table

Keep their heights related but varied so that if you looked at them head on and traced an imaginary outline around them, you’d have some version of a triangle. You may count one of your new lamps as accessory #1 if the new accessories are sitting next to a lamp on a side table or night stand.

The magic of 3. The “trinity of design,” lucky number 3, the number of completion. I don’t know why it works, but it does. Trust me…and send me a picture, or 3, of your magic 3 result!